Category Archives: MIG Welding Techniques

Today we are going to be talking about some MIG Welding Techniques! But first, we are going to be defining some terms to help newbies understand better. We’ve often seen people in TV or at the streets looking like this:

These are the welders and without them, the skyscraper buildings that you see now wouldn’t be standing so tall. To weld means to join together. You will need two pieces of metals, or a lot of pieces of it – doesn’t really matter… You will join these pieces together with the use of fire or electricity. There are different types of welding, but today we are going to be talking about MIG Welding. Have you heard of this before?

MIG (Metal Inert Gas) WELDING or sometimes called as GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) or MAG (Metal Active Gas). What is this? This is a type of welding that uses an electric arc that forms between a consumable wire electrode and the work piece metal or metals. This then heats the said metals which as a result melts them and eventually joins them together. This process can be automatic or semi-automatic.

As a welder, you have to make sure that you use constant voltage or a direct power source. MIG Welding was first developed for welding aluminum and others materials, but now, it is even used to weld steel materials together. By using MIG, the welders get a faster welding time compared to using other processes.

Here are some more tips that you should keep in mind:

1.) If you are welding thin metals, be sure to use a smaller diameter wire as well. If it’s a thick metal you are welding, then by all means, use a larger wire and a larger machine. The wire you use should be appropriate to the metal you are welding.

2.) In MIG Welding, the suggested shielding gas would be CO2, for this gas is good for penetrating welds on steel. However, you should keep in mind that it could be too hot for thin metal. So, what you will do is you will switch. Instead of using pure CO2 gas, you will use 75% Argon that is mixed with 25% CO2. If you are welding aluminum, then you should just use Argon alone.

Additional info, if you are dealing with stainless steel, try using a combination of Helium, Argon, and CO2. It would do wonders to your finished product.

3.) While you are welding, do you best to keep your gun as straight as you can. The reason behind this would be to avoid poor wire feeding.

4.) It would also be best if you keep the wire you are using in a clean, cool, dry place. This is to avoid any contaminants that can give you poor welds. Wire your wire before using!

5.) A small pool weld equals to a stronger weld bead control.

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